Is there really any debate on this? Does anyone want to go into next season with 3 CB's playing safety for us?

Everyone knows how I feel about the safety position and its importance to this defense. I feel the need was not properly adressed last offseason. Gregory and Wilson provided some good depth but neither of them are IDEAL strong safeties. McCourty, Wilson, Gregory ALL played Cb in college which may help them in coverage(not so much with Gregory) but they dont provide that INTIMIDATION factor that was sorely lacking last year. I thought the AFCCG played out the way I thought It would w/out Talib. Baltimores bigger Wrs were able to go up and fight for balls, go over the middle never fearing a big hit from anyone. Conversley our BIG linebackers who do HIT hard were not able to make an impact because they were covering and thats not their strength. Some people think I made too much of this but to me its pretty obvious and glaring when u look around the league. Sure we need to get a BIG WR who can get open and fight for balls. Bigger lineman who can maul people instead of finesse blockers. MORE CB's!!!!! and a cover LB but with the right Safety on this team last year I believe we overcome everythng else. Their WR's were able to go up and make plays with no fear and our one GUY Welker was so beat up that game, he was saying "no mas" by the 3rd quarter

I dont know much about the safeties coming out as I haven got to watch much college ball this year but I really dont believe a rookie can help at this point. We need a Vet who can pick things up.

There are a few intriging guys who I think are free agents and I suggest BB go for them. Ed Reed is a guy I talked about 2 months ago and If he doesnt get a ring and retire, BB will surely call but he is still a FS, all be it a better hitter than anyone we have , he is still a cover safety. Gregory is a SS but has a CB's body. This team could use Ed Reed to mentor McCourty but still needs a young SS for the next few year.

Maybe Atlanta will let William Moore walk. He is a BIG safety who can hit and has pretty decent range and makes plays when presented. This would be my 1st choice

Another guy I think would fit the bill is Kenny Phillips( I know from the U) but he has the size u want at the position, is fast and can hit. Problem is Health with him. He only played in 7 games last year but did play in 31 out of 32 games the 2 prior years. BB could do alot with this guy. Both he and Moore are a little over 6' and over 215 lbs.

The other guys I would like to see arent pure Intimidators but all around safeties who will still Hit you but can also excel in coverage.

Louis Delmas(great prospect coming out, started strong but has been injured lately making him a possible target on a prove it type contract)

Glover Quinn(nothing special but good agressive player that could help)

Tanard Jackson(young player with all the tools, can he be consistent?)

Dashon Goldson(try again?)

If all else fails and you HAVE to draft someone, Go get Matt Elam from Florida....

On defense, Matt Elam has been compared to Brian Dawkins (*drool*). A complete safety with elite instincts, he covers ground, plays center field and can match up with tight ends and running backs. Elam is good against the run, a physical hitter who flies to the football and blows up ball carriers (though his tackling can be erratic and is something I need to hone in on when I examine him more closely), while also showing flashes of being a dangerous blitzer and disruptive force in the backfield. Plays violently and toes the line, but can sometimes let emotions get the best of him. To that extent, my only real concern about Elam at the next level is his size and whether he'll be able to sustain his current style of play.

sounds like our guy. Bulk him up to 215 and let em' Head Hunt! lol

no triple, i think our highest and next to highest and next to next to highest (ie its not close) is elite pass rushing de. next big outside wr who can separate and catch, and a big, fast cb; then yeah safety is a big need (i suggested picking up in fa, along with pass rusher (i dont see much of a stud available at 29), better o line starter, cover lb., upgrade at dt. are these canadian kids any of that, hard to say at this point, maybe depth.

on offense we've been stopped for years against better des not having a torrie smith or other (a big outside wr who can separate with reliable hands) . good offenses often have 2 good outside wrs. we have not had one since moss (lloyd cannot separate and falls on the ground every time he catches a pass). we need at least one.

a tough safety who can cover and stay healthy is needed (and i want it this offseason), but wihtout another real pass rusher (and cb and outside wr),we may look at another year with no brady sb win.

The Wilson pick still baffles me. Hopefully he can step up year 2 and not become another failed 2nd round secondary pick.

Bb has had plenty of chances to draft big, hard hitting safeties and has passed everytime. Signing Gregory in the offseason just confuses me more in terms of what he is looking for. His choice in safeties is almost as bad as cb.

i agree with PatsEng and Wozz here. A big, penetrating DT is my first choice. There will be several in the draft and in FA to choose from . If you don't think DT is a priority, just look what he has dome in the last 2 weeks raiding the cfl. He grabbed a DT/de and another de/lb.

i would argue we are a lot thinner along the DL than safety Because deaderck, love, Pryor, Francis, Cunningham, Scott, bequette, etc just ain't enough. The only one worth his salt is Vince. 1 good DT doesnt make a sturdy line. Lucky we have some big lb's behind them.

sad to say, but once again cb and safety are big priorities, especially if Talib isn't sigNed. If Talib walks, my top priority again is cb followed by DT, safety and WR.

Generally agree with Chung not working out, but what are you looking for in skill set? I'd rather have another guy like McCOurty with range v.s. a traditional in the box SS.

I don't know enough about Moore to comment, but Goldson is also likely going to be released by SF with what he is due, which would make him a FA again. Maybe BB ups the offer and he's the guy.

S, DE/DT, WR and OL are the top spots for me in FA and in the draft.

I wouldn't mind seeing some one a little more physical than McCourty. His main job was to line up 15 yards off the ball, backpedal on the snap and keep the play in front of him. I am not sure you need two players doing that every play.

Is Goldon due anything? I thought he signed was franchised this season. If they can unload Smith I would think they would have the money to extend (or even franchise) him.

I am with you on the draft priorities. With only 5 picks, my only hope is they stick with the first and second rounds picks and do not trade down for "value" picks.

I think corner, WR, and right tackle are bigger priorities. We may address those problems in part by re-signing Talib, Vollmer and Welker, but I think all those positions absolutely need bodies--both starters and depth. After that, there are a series of positions that I'd call second priorities--safety, DT, and interior OL. We have signed bodies there (Gregory, Love, Deaderick, Wendell, etc.) who are all at least acceptable if not great. And then there are a few other positions that would be nice to improve if possible--DE, OLB--where boosting pass rush and coverage skills would be beneficial. Assuming we can sign Ballard, we're pretty much set at TE, plus we're set at MLB, RB (with or without Woodhead), and QB.

I think corner, WR, and right tackle are bigger priorities. We may address those problems in part by re-signing Talib, Vollmer and Welker, but I think all those positions absolutely need bodies--both starters and depth. After that, there are a series of positions that I'd call second priorities--safety, DT, and interior OL. We have signed bodies there (Gregory, Love, Deaderick, Wendell, etc.) who are all at least acceptable if not great. And then there are a few other positions that would be nice to improve if possible--DE, OLB--where boosting pass rush and coverage skills would be beneficial. Assuming we can sign Ballard, we're pretty much set at TE, plus we're set at MLB, RB (with or without Woodhead), and QB.

I agree pass rush is a need, but I have a feeling BB is going to stick wirh Jones, Nink, and Francis on the outside to preserve cap space. Maybe he'll do more on the interior of the line or even at LB to address the issue though.

I agree pass rush is a need, but I have a feeling BB is going to stick wirh Jones, Nink, and Francis on the outside to preserve cap space. Maybe he'll do more on the interior of the line or even at LB to address the issue though.

if he wants to win a sb, it start with a pss rush on de. good o lines allow teh qb to bak a cake back there,ie balt

this has cost us 3 sbs, certainly the last 2. bb refusal to hire the top coaches in the league, esp off coordinator.

Who are these top coaches that you claim were available that we should have brought in? You actually think we lost the games we have because of playcalling alone? Seriously? Aren't you the guy who kept whining that Josh forgot about the run too much all year. He sure as s hit didn't forget about it against Baltimore and yet we still lost. Funny how that works.

I agree pass rush is a need, but I have a feeling BB is going to stick wirh Jones, Nink, and Francis on the outside to preserve cap space. Maybe he'll do more on the interior of the line or even at LB to address the issue though.

if he wants to win a sb, it start with a pss rush on de. good o lines allow teh qb to bak a cake back there,ie balt

I think a lot will depend on how BB views Jones and his potential to become a dominant pass rusher with a year's worth of experience. I know some have been hoping to see BB revert to a 3-4, but I don't see a guy like Jones as a 3-4 player unless he can play LB and cover well (and as far as I know, there's no evidence that he can play well backing up). Much more likely I think is that we stay 4-3, Jones and Nink remain the DEs, and BB works at getting one more interior tackle who can penetrate a bit (Armstead is one possibility if he works out). Nink may be replaced with Francis or Bequette on passing downs, and Cunningham (if he makes the team) continues to be in the rotation in the middle. I wouldn't mind if BB were to pick up another solid pass rusher, but with all the other needs (and the fact he took Jones last year to fill that role and Bequette), I suspect he's going to put a higher priority on other positions. But a lot will depend on what talent is available. BB tends to adjust his priorities based on the actual talent available. Even if he wants a corner more than an end, he'll take an end he thinks is great before he takes a corner he thinks is just average.

BB tends to adjust his priorities based on the actual talent available. Even if he wants a corner more than an end, he'll take an end he thinks is great before he takes a corner he thinks is just average.

This. Belichick really wanted Steven Jackson in 2004, but ended up taking Wilfork because he couldn't believe he was still available when we got him. Jackson ended up going 3 picks later.

this has cost us 3 sbs, certainly the last 2. bb refusal to hire the top coaches in the league, esp off coordinator.

Who are these top coaches that you claim were available that we should have brought in? You actually think we lost the games we have because of playcalling alone? Seriously? Aren't you the guy who kept whining that Josh forgot about the run too much all year. He sure as s hit didn't forget about it against Baltimore and yet we still lost. Funny how that works.

Yeah, the "play-calling-is-terrible-we-don't-run-enough" crowd has been kind of quiet since the AFC Championship when we played the game they all wanted to see and lost even worse than we lost in the Super Bowl.

Apologies in advance if I'm repeating what others have said, just no time to read through all the previous posts.

I disagree that safety (or any specific position) is the highest priority. The highest priority to improve the pass defense, but can anyone tell me that they'd be better off signing or drafting an OK safety as opposed to a standout CB to replace Arrington/Cole/whoever (assuming Talib is back, if he's not CB is clearly a higher priority than S).

I disagree with the notion that intimidation is what's missing from the defense. It's the lack of depth in coverage ability coupled with an inconsistent pass rush. Flacco had all damn day back there and when Talib went out, guys were wide open.

Talib (again assuming he's back) and Dennard are both injury risks, if one of them is out, the replacements are not adequate. I don't care if Ronnie Lott, Rodney Harrison, Steve Atwater and John Lynch is your rotation at safety, your pass defense is going to be inadequate if your CBs can't cover anybody.

Likewise, Jared Allen (or a reasonable facsimile) would improve the pass defense more than a hard hitting safety.

Apologies in advance if I'm repeating what others have said, just no time to read through all the previous posts.

I disagree that safety (or any specific position) is the highest priority. The highest priority to improve the pass defense, but can anyone tell me that they'd be better off signing or drafting an OK safety as opposed to a standout CB to replace Arrington/Cole/whoever (assuming Talib is back, if he's not CB is clearly a higher priority than S).

I disagree with the notion that intimidation is what's missing from the defense. It's the lack of depth in coverage ability coupled with an inconsistent pass rush. Flacco had all damn day back there and when Talib went out, guys were wide open.

Talib (again assuming he's back) and Dennard are both injury risks, if one of them is out, the replacements are not adequate. I don't care if Ronnie Lott, Rodney Harrison, Steve Atwater and John Lynch is your rotation at safety, your pass defense is going to be inadequate if your CBs can't cover anybody.

Likewise, Jared Allen (or a reasonable facsimile) would improve the pass defense more than a hard hitting safety.

If they don't fix what's wrong on the sidelines then nothing else matters...

Play calling

No adjustments

Confusion, players not ready?

Thought process that benches Vereen untill 3rd quarter

Trying to FORCE the same play over and over when it clearly ain't working

They can tackle players after. If they don't fix the reasons why they show up on the National Stage and pizz their pants then what's the point...

This too, but still need a real safety. The coaching thing still baffles me. Why does BB Bitch up in big games after being Mr. Ballzy in regular season.?? I bet he has never punted from an opponents 35 TWICE in one game in regular season but thats another topic.

Maybe the wind? Why do you blame everyone but #12, the guy who leads the offense. You'll never escape the fact that he is being outplayed by inferior QBs, when he used to NOT be.

Sculls... this isn't tennis. Qbs play against th opponents defense...not each other.

this has cost us 3 sbs, certainly the last 2. bb refusal to hire the top coaches in the league, esp off coordinator.

Who are these top coaches that you claim were available that we should have brought in? You actually think we lost the games we have because of playcalling alone? Seriously? Aren't you the guy who kept whining that Josh forgot about the run too much all year. He sure as s hit didn't forget about it against Baltimore and yet we still lost. Funny how that works.

this has cost us 3 sbs, certainly the last 2. bb refusal to hire the top coaches in the league, esp off coordinator.

Who are these top coaches that you claim were available that we should have brought in? You actually think we lost the games we have because of playcalling alone? Seriously? Aren't you the guy who kept whining that Josh forgot about the run too much all year. He sure as s hit didn't forget about it against Baltimore and yet we still lost. Funny how that works.

Yeah, the "play-calling-is-terrible-we-don't-run-enough" crowd has been kind of quiet since the AFC Championship when we played the game they all wanted to see and lost even worse than we lost in the Super Bowl.

Apologies in advance if I'm repeating what others have said, just no time to read through all the previous posts.

I disagree that safety (or any specific position) is the highest priority. The highest priority to improve the pass defense, but can anyone tell me that they'd be better off signing or drafting an OK safety as opposed to a standout CB to replace Arrington/Cole/whoever (assuming Talib is back, if he's not CB is clearly a higher priority than S).

I disagree with the notion that intimidation is what's missing from the defense. It's the lack of depth in coverage ability coupled with an inconsistent pass rush. Flacco had all damn day back there and when Talib went out, guys were wide open.

Talib (again assuming he's back) and Dennard are both injury risks, if one of them is out, the replacements are not adequate. I don't care if Ronnie Lott, Rodney Harrison, Steve Atwater and John Lynch is your rotation at safety, your pass defense is going to be inadequate if your CBs can't cover anybody.

Likewise, Jared Allen (or a reasonable facsimile) would improve the pass defense more than a hard hitting safety.